The passers of the 2025 Shari’ah Special Bar Examinations were inducted as Shari’ah counselors-at-law during an oath-taking ceremony at The Manila Hotel last Wednesday.

The examinations, which were the first to be fully digitalized, were conducted on 25 and 28 May at four testing centers. Of the 629 examinees, 24.48 percent passed.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho Jr., who chaired the 2025 examinations, presided over the ceremony. In his message, he congratulated the new counselors and emphasized their commitment to service.

“Their admission to the Shari’ah Bar marks their solemn commitment to service: to be the voice of clarity in moments of uncertainty, the heralds of peace in times of conflict, and the guardians of fairness when rights are at stake,” Kho said.

He cited the timely nature of their admission, citing the passage of Republic Act 12018, which established additional Shari’ah judicial districts. Kho also thanked the examiners and a team of translators who used dedicated software to ensure the accurate translation of Arabic responses.